Weird leak please help!!!!!!!!!!

[tobz.]

Loss of coolant and water dripping out of the lower air outlets (that blow on your feet) are the signs of a matrix failure. Also a bit of steam from the vents occasionally.
You can change a matrix with the dash still in but you have to strip away the complete lower half. It's not difficult, just a little fiddly at times and requires some patience. When I changed one it took about 4hours but I also took out the stereo and all the controls etc to improve access to the top of the heater box.

Here's a link to the guide I used:

http://rapidshare.de/files/18315848/Changing_a_mk2_golf_heater_matrix.doc.html

[rubjonny]

usually you would notice your screen steams up once the car is warm and you try to defrost your screen, coolant loss, coolant smell through the vents (only if your coolant actually SMELLS of coolant though )

As said you remove the bottom half of the dash, but where it mentions to remove the staples from the vents you don't need to, and rather than uncliping the cables from the heater box, simply unscrew the heater pannel after removing the facia and it will all drop down together.

[tobz.]

Ah yeah as jonny said removing the heater controls rather than disconnecting the cables will save a lot of time. I thought I had been back and edited that document, maybe not!

[rubjonny]

maybee you did, I didn't use that one, I used the one off cgti

[Red8v]

Cheers guys that a great help! Got the guide of of CGTi and a going to German and Swedish this afternoon to buy the new matrix. Any difference in them, one is a few quid more? Then gonna take off as much as I can at work and keep it driveable until I can do it at the weekend. That will piss the girlfriend offif I do it all at once and not take her shopping, she already thinks I spend to much time fiddling with my old heap (her words) 

[rubjonny]

I'd go for the more expensive one, probably a better quality part.  Trust me when I say, you do NOW want to do this job again
Oh, and get 2 new heater matrix feed & return pipes, as you no longer need the bypass valves:
18004 HEATER HOSE (FEED)  9.45
18005 HEATER HOSE (RETURN)  9.45

Or you could use lengths of copper pipe, but if you're doing a job... etc

[Red8v]

Wicked cheers jonny, one last question! I was thinking of join the heater matrix feed and return pipes so I can do as much as I can whilst skiving at work and keeping the car drivable. This way I thought i could take a few days and do a decent job rather than rushing and f*ucking it up. If i wanted to do this what diameter copper pipe would I need to join these together?

[rubjonny]

The normal stuff you would use for taps n stuff will do

Though if you pull the feed off the heater feed pipe you might have enough slack to join it straight to the metal pipe the return goes too.  Dont stretch it though, I did this when bypassing my oil cooler and it soon split!

[Red8v]

Right cut off the supply to the matrix using a copper elbow joint. Have got most of the stuff out that I need to but can't remove the plastic air distribution unit. I have pulled the vents out and unscrewed the housing but can't get unit or housing out without removing the staples. I know you said that I don't need to remove them but can't see any other way of removing the unit!

[rubjonny]

hmm ok, perhaps you do!  Its just when I took the dash out of mine I didn't need to touch any of the staples all the vents just popped off...